@@@ AICN COMICS @@@ 7th ANNUAL @$$IE AWARDS!

Welcome, all, to Day Three of the 7th Annual AICN COMICS @$$IE AWARDS, where comics best and brightest are recognized for stellar (and sometimes not so stellar) performances in comic bookdom. I’m Ambush Bug. There was a time when we could fit all of the @$$ies into one lengthy column, but the @$$Holes’ ranks have grown too big for that, so for the next week or so, a pair of @$$Holes will be presenting their picks for the best of the best in comics. Most awards are given around the turn of the year, but we think ours is special, so while those outside of the know celebrate the time of the Oscar, we here at AICN COMICS celebrate the time of the coveted @$$ie Award. In between picks, subcategories compiled by all of the @$$Holes will be interspersed. So sit back, crack the knuckles in your browsing hand, and scroll down as the @$$Holes pick the @$$ies!

Best Original Graphic Novel

SCOTT PILGRIM'S FINEST HOUR (Oni Press) My thoughts on this may be colored by all the access I was given by ONI Press this past summer, but SCOTT PILGRIM'S FINEST HOUR was one of the great reading experiences of the year, a beyond satisfying conclusion, and just plain fun as hell.

AXE COP, The Great Duck Chase (Dark Horse) I've been reading comics for almost 30 years. I've seen a lot of strange stuff. But I've never seen anything like The Great Duck Chase, beginning here, in Volume One of AXE COP (Dark Horse.) It's so bizzare, so insane, and so incredibly fun, that any other moment this year pales in comparison.

Randy Milholland’s SUPER STUPOR This two page special edition of SUPER STUPOR from Randy Milholland is the funniest superhero deconstruction I've read in my entire life. What can I say, I like it when very clever villains are shown just how stupid they actually are. And I like dick jokes.

Brian Hurtt, (SIXTH GUN, Oni Press) I just am constantly flabbergasted by the work done by Brian Hurtt on THE SIXTH GUN (ONI Press.) It's not just that it's vibrant. It's not just that he presents a clear narrative. It's not just that the book is fun, crazy, terrifying and thrilling simultaneously. It's all those things, plus the simple fact that not only has this book never shipped late, it once actually shipped a week early. What brand of energy drink does this man live on, and how can we get everyone else in the industry to start chugging it?

KO KO BE GOOD (First Second Books) This book was an impulse buy and boyoboy was it worth it! Jen Wang's characters are interesting, confused and a little off. Exactly what I want in a story. The art is sketchy, water-colored and beyond great. Beautifully exaggerated expressions and body language, with elegant linework. Even when the scene is calm and static, the illustrations still move. A fantastic book through and through.

Ivy Raven – ECHO (SIP/Terry Moore.com) I was always a huge fan of STRANGERS IN PARADISE and am surprised that I'm enjoying ECHO almost as much, and a lot of that has to do with Ivy Raven. The NSB agent sent to track down Julie Martin (the protagonist of the book), she is smart and formidable. I'm a sucker for interesting villains with dimension and real-world motivations. And thank you Terry Moore for drawing women to look like...WOMEN! She's a pleasure to read. The only complaint if have is I would liked it better had Ivy been on the other side slightly longer, maybe dragged out her switch a little. I can't wait to see what she'll do next though!

1. Scalped is indeed awesome, and so underrated its a crime 2. Preacher is indeed arguably one of the best books ever published 3. Irredeemable has indeed taken one of the biggest quantum leaps in quality I can ever remember, that book has been crushing it the last 15 issues or so. 4. I'm not sure why the A$$holes seem to hate Morning Glories, I'm legitimately perplexed, thats a really fun book.